Pete and I met in undergrad. He played on the men's soccer team, and some of his teammates were friends of mine. We didn't start dating until a few years later. We thought our new relationship would shock our friends, but I guess we weren't very good at hiding our mutual attraction. Everyone had bets on when it was finally going to happen. Just when we had figured out that this might be something special, circumstances forced us into a long-distance relationship. For the next 5 years we lived in different cities, as far apart as 14,000 miles. We made it work, but I definitely don't miss those days. It's great to finally be with my guy.

the furbaby

We adopted Bailey, a cattle-dog mix, when she was 8 months old. She had lived her entire life in a shelter, and I think she spent that whole time saving up love for us.

Here she is jumping up to give me kisses while I try to take her picture.

the proposal

Pete proposed to me on the Gapstow Bridge in Central Park. He planned the most thoughtful day and managed to make me think it was all spontaneous. I did not see it coming.

My cushion cut!

the location

Pete and I knew that we wanted to have a destination wedding, but it took us some time to pick the location. Once we decided on Oahu, everything fell into place.

colors and inspiration

We wanted our wedding to have a natural elegance with vintage, rustic, and organic elements. Here's an inspiration board created by yours truly...

We chose a color palette of white, shades of sand, and plum. We prefer a primarily neutral look, so we used the purple accents sparingly.

We worked with the fabulous Lisa Hoffman from Ceci New York to design our invitation suite. I am a HUGE paper product junkie who obsesses over letterpress and calligraphy, so this was one of two splurges we included in the budget. Thank you Style Me Pretty for hooking me up with a great discount and making it more budget-friendly!

The final proofs of our Save the Dates are shown below. They turned out exactly how we wanted, and the 2 color letterpress looks even better in person. We used the Hatch Show Print posters as inspiration and emphasized the Hawaiian setting.

Here are the final proofs for our invites. Thank you to the Hawaii board for their input along the way. The envelopes are my favorite things. I especially love how the white calligraphy turned out on the khaki mailers.(Images can be clicked for a larger version.)

We wanted to thank our guests for traveling so far for our wedding by greeting them with a welcome bag. We purchased these jute bags from Discount Mugswith the following graphic printed in white. Thanks to some of my fellow Hawaii knotties for going in on the bags and bringing the price per bag way down.

We included some yummy Hawaiian treats, including cookies from Honolulu Cookie Company.We also put together a welcome packet that includes a weekend itinerary and maps of important locations.

Unfortunately, my hair doesn't do well in humidity and won't last for hours, so I decided to wear it up for the wedding and reception. The back of this updo is lovely.Photo credit: Robert and Kathleen Photography

It took me a long time to decide on a hair accessory, because there is so much to choose from. Love these sketches from Sara Gabriel.

Some other gorgeous looks. (Check out this site for some amazing eye candy.)Photo credits: Johanna Johnson

After looking at a lot of options, I finally decided to wear a birdcage veil.Photo credit: Elizabeth Messina

Instead of a typical fascinator, I wore fresh flowers. It feels very Hawaiian to me. I was inspired by the look of the following photosPhoto credit: Jose Villa

The venue for our wedding and reception was Lanikuhonua (Phase II), a private estate 40 minutes from Waikiki. So many Knotties have had or are planning weddings at this venue. Your tips have been invaluable. Thanks for sharing!!!

We liked the idea of serving non-alcoholic drinks prior to the ceremony. Photo credit: Rob Garland

One of the best things about getting married outdoors with ocean views is that you can have an amazing ceremony set-up without much decor. This picture is from Knottie myday1708's gorgeous wedding at Lanikuhonua. We also set up our chairs at an angle to the stone wall with the palm trees framing us. Photo credit: Stephanie Reidel

I like this as an alternative to passing out programs. Photo credit: Red Loft Studios

I'm so excited about our guestbook. We found Portugese artist lacunaworkon Etsy. She takes damaged antique furniture that is destined to be burned or demolished and reworks the wood into beautiful books. Here are pictures of ours. I love!!!

Forthe reception, we were originally planning on using custom canopies from Yvonne Floral. A few months before the wedding, I decided that I wanted a more open feel with the tables directly under the trees. No tent. My planner and I worked with Yvonne to create something beautiful with lighting and linens. I was nervous because I wasn't sure it would have as big of a visual impact as the canopies, and they had never done that set-up at Lani. I'm happy it worked out. These are some of the pics that inspired the decor change. For a larger version, click on the picture.

I like this mix of round and square tables, but we ended up with square and rectangular. Photo credit: Docuvitae

Escort cards on a clothesline look adorable. We stained our clothespins the same color as our table numbers to make them more special.Photo credit: The Knot

We had planned to use a chalkboard for the menu and drink display. I was going to go to the Home Depot in Honolulu and paint particle board with chalkboard paint, but I finally decided that I didn't want to spend any time in Hawaii working on DIY projects. We ended up with a few cost effective hand calligraphied menu displays. Still think chalkboards are a cute idea for someone else's wedding, though.Upper photo credit: Leigh MillerLower photo credit: Bradford M. Shepherd

Pretty cakes.

Here's the preliminary sketch for our cake by the crazy talented Rick of Cake Lava.

'Weddings are about two things, and we only ever talk about one. Weddings are about everyone gathering to see two people make vows of lifetime commitment, and to celebrate that. But weddings are also about something else - they are about old friends and family getting together, sharing stories, catching up, hugging, laughing, talking... and making new friends, and creating new memories. The two of you are the reason why everyone is gathered together, but (blessedly) when a wedding goes right, it is about so much more than the two of you.'-Meg from A Practical Wedding

'Weddings are now so much bigger and more splendid and more extraordinary in design and scope than I possibly could have imagined when I was a little girl. When we all were. But. How you live your married life, each and every day, or rather the sum of your days, eventually becomes a much more powerful testimony of who you are as a couple. So, plan the wedding you imagine, great or small, near or far, lavish or serene. I hope it is a wonderful and honest celebration (and that the photographs are fantastic, too!). I’m just saying, I hope your marriage is even more marvelous. Were it up to me, and were my husband and I so extraordinarily lucky, I’d rather let our fiftieth anniversary than our wedding be that ultimate statement of who we are together.' -Gia Canali